Practice 2

Passage 1

The failures of sensory perception can be unusual and debilitating. A particular sensory deficit that
inhibits an important social function of humans is prosopagnosia, or face blindness. The word comes
from the Greek words prosopa, that means “faces,” and agnosia, that means “not knowing.” Some
people may feel that they cannot recognize people easily by their faces. However, a person with
prosopagnosia cannot recognize the most recognizable people in their respective cultures. They would
not recognize the face of a celebrity, an important historical figure, or even a family member like their
mother. They may not even recognize their own face.

1. Which of the following is NOT true about prosopagnosia?

a. Another name for prosopagnosia is face blindness
b. The word is derived from two Greek words that were combined
c. People with this sensory deficit can’t recognize celebrities or historical figures, but
they normally recognize close family members
d. Some individuals suffering from face blindness might not be able to recognize
themselve

Passage 2

One of the most talked about diseases is skin cancer. Cancer is a broad term that describes diseases
caused by abnormal cells in the body dividing uncontrollably. Most cancers are identified by the organ
or tissue in which the cancer originates. One common form of cancer is skin cancer. The Skin Cancer
Foundation reports that one in five Americans will experience some type of skin cancer in their
lifetime. The degradation of the ozone layer in the atmosphere and the resulting increase in exposure
to UV radiation has contributed to its rise. Overexposure to UV radiation damages DNA, which can
lead to the formation of cancerous lesions. Although melanin offers some protection against DNA
damage from the sun, often it is not enough. The fact that cancers can also occur on areas of the body
that are normally not exposed to UV radiation suggests that there are additional factors that can lead
to cancerous lesions.

2. All the following statements are true of cancer, EXCEPT ...

a. The term "cancer" usually describes diseases that cause irregular cells to multiply
uncontrollably
b. The most common and fatal form of cancer is skin cancer
c. Approximately 20% of Americans will experience a form of skin cancer
d. Harm to our DNA can cause cancerous spots to form

Passage 3

Atmospheric pressure does more than just keep blood gases dissolved. Your ability to breathe—that
is, to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide—also depends upon a precise atmospheric pressure.
Altitude sickness occurs in part because the atmosphere at high altitudes exerts less pressure,
reducing the exchange of these gases, and causing shortness of breath, confusion, headache, lethargy,

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and nausea. Mountain climbers carry oxygen to reduce the effects of both low oxygen levels and low
barometric pressure at higher altitudes.

3. According to the paragraph, which of the following is NOT true about atmospheric pressure?
a. It is responsible for more than the dissolution of blood gases
b. A very specific level of pressure is required for humans to breathe
c. The lower pressure at high altitudes is the only cause of altitude sickness
d. Some of the symptoms of altitude sickness are confusion, nausea, and being short of
breath

Passage 4

Europa and the inner two Galilean moons, are not icy worlds like most of the moons of the outer
planets. With densities and sizes similar to our Moon, they appear to be predominantly rocky objects.

The most probable cause is Jupiter itself, which was hot enough to radiate a great deal of infrared
energy during the first few million years after its formation. This infrared radiation would have heated
the disk of material near the planet that would eventually coalesce into the closer moons.

Thus, any ice near Jupiter was vaporized, leaving Europa with compositions similar to planets in the
inner solar system.

Despite its mainly rocky composition, Europa has an ice-covered surface, as astronomers have long
known from examining spectra of sunlight reflected from it. In this it resembles Earth, which has a
layer of water on its surface, but in Europa’s case the water is capped by a thick crust of ice. There are
very few impact craters in this ice, indicating that the surface of Europa is in a continual state of
geological self-renewal. Judging from crater counts, the surface must be no more than a few million
years old, and perhaps substantially less. In terms of its ability to erase impact craters, Europa is more
geologically active than Earth.

When we look at close-up photos of Europa, we see a strange, complicated surface. For the most part,
the icy crust is extremely smooth, but it is crisscrossed with cracks and low ridges that often stretch
for thousands of kilometers. Some of these long lines are single, but most are double or multiple,
looking rather like the remnants of a colossal freeway system.

4. All of the following are true of Europa except …

a. It’s mostly composed of rock with an exterior of ice
b. It’s mostly composed of rock with an exterior of ice
c. The few impact craters in the ice suggest that it’s renewed itself geologically once
d. The number of craters indicates that it has a maximum surface age of a few million
years

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Passage 5

Insomnia, a consistent difficulty in falling or staying asleep, is the most common of the sleep disorders.
Individuals with insomnia often experience long delays between the times that they go to bed and
actually fall asleep. In addition, these individuals may wake up several times during the night only to
find that they have difficulty getting back to sleep. As mentioned earlier, one of the criteria for
insomnia involves experiencing these symptoms for at least three nights a week for at least one
month’s time.

It is not uncommon for people suffering from insomnia to experience increased levels of anxiety about
their inability to fall asleep. This becomes a self-perpetuating cycle because increased anxiety leads to
increased arousal, and higher levels of arousal make the prospect of falling asleep even more unlikely.
Chronic insomnia is almost always associated with feeling overtired and may be associated with
symptoms of Depression.

There may be many factors that contribute to insomnia, including age, drug use, exercise, mental
status, and bedtime routines. Not surprisingly, insomnia treatment may take one of several different
approaches. People who suffer from insomnia might limit their use of stimulant drugs (such as
caffeine) or increase their amount of physical exercise during the day. Some people might turn to
over-the-counter (OTC) or prescribed sleep medications to help them sleep, but this should be done
sparingly because many sleep medications result in dependence and alter the nature of the sleep
cycle, and they can increase insomnia over time. Those who continue to have insomnia, particularly if
it affects their quality of life, should seek professional treatment.

5. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT true?

a. The most prevalent sleep disorder is having trouble staying or getting to sleep, also
known as insomnia
b. People with sleep apnea have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep
c. Individuals with insomnia tend to wake up several times a night and struggle to fall
back asleep
d. In order to be considered an insomniac, a person must experience at least one of the
symptoms for at least three nights during the week during a period of one month

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